e_Paper, Monday, August 7, 2017

News 5
MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2017
What do you do with rape victims? You send
them away
DT
• Udisa Islam
HUMAN RIGHTS
Eleven years ago, 10-year old Sitara
from Sirajganj was raped by three
men from her village. Her parents
did not file a case against the rapists.
The village came together, and
after a “shalish,” caned the rapists
as punishment. However, Sitara’s
mother left next year for her parents’
house in Pabna along with 11-
year old Sitara, never to return.
Sitara is now 21 years old, with a
family of her own. But she still has
not been able to get over what happened
to her as a child. She still has
to suffer name-calling and insults
reminding her of the childhood
trauma.
When Sitara’s mother was asked
why she left her village, she said:
“If only you knew how many people
harassed my child. My daughter
was in no way responsible for
what happened. She was innocent.
But the situation only worsened
after everyone found out about
the rape. Everyone used to tease
her. I had to protect my daughter
from the abuse. But even now, I
am afraid that the word will spread
here eventually.”
Moni from Dinajpur was a victim
of rape when she was four
years old. She came into the public
eye after suffering grievous injuries
during the assault, and received
proper medical aid as a result. Although
a year has passed since the
incident, her family still bears the
scars of the trauma, and Moni herself
relives the incident because
of the constant name-calling. Her
mother is always trying to shield
Moni from vicious onlookers.
While weeping profusely, she said:
“I want to send to her to the other
side [to India].”
Sitara and Moni are only two
examples of the many women and
children who fight the trauma of
their rape every day, trying to live a
life away from society and people.
The negative perceptions of society
as well as wrongful accusations
often drive many rape survivors to
commit suicide.
Social scientists and psychologists
say although the victims are
not responsible for the traumatic
incidents, they have to live their
entire lives feeling that way. The
relationship between the rapist
and victim is always one of unbalanced
power. Oftentimes the victims
have to leave their homes because
the perpetrators do not face
justice.
Women’s rights activist Khushi
Kabir said: “The women who are
victims of rape have no fault in it.
But they have to face the full force
of society’s repercussions. They
do not receive justice, but have no
space left in society to recover. Although
some people show solidarity
at first, the lack of a follow-up
means that victims have to continue
the struggle for their lives on
their own.
“Since the perpetrators usually
have more power in society than
the victims, it is quite obvious why
it becomes impossible for those
victims to continue living in that
society. We have also failed in creating
that kind of atmosphere in
our societies,” she added.
Rokeya Kabir, executive director
of Bangladesh Nari Progoti
Shangha, believes that a lack of
societal support system is at fault
for the displacement of rape victims.
“If the government does not
provide her with the necessary security,
she will have to find that on
her own. The state of our society
is such that we unfairly judge the
Venezuelan authorities crush military rebellion
• Reuters, Caracas
WORLD
Venezuelan authorities have suppressed
a military rebellion near
the central city of Valencia, a ruling
official said on Sunday, days after
President Nicolas Maduro formed a
legislative superbody internationally
condemned as a power grab.
Socialist Party deputy Diosdado
Cabello made the announcement
shortly after the release of a video
showing a group of men in military
uniform announcing a rebellion
and calling for a broad uprising
against President Nicolas Maduro.
One witness in the area of a military
base in the town of Naguanagua
reported hearing gunshots
before dawn, but Cabello said the
situation had been brought under
control. Officials said the rebels,
whom they described as “terrorists,”
were trying to steal weapons
and that seven people were detained
after the attack on the base.
The Defence Ministry did not
immediately respond to a request
for comment. But government allies
were quick to denounce the
attack as a right-wing plot aimed
at bringing down the “Bolivarian
revolution” started nearly 20 years
In most cases, rape survivors become pariahs in our society
Venezuelan Bolivarian National Guard officers fire teargase towards resident that
try to walks to the Military base Paramacay in Valencia on August 6, 2017
AP
ago by the late Hugo Chavez and
carried on by his protege Maduro.
“These attacks, planned by
delirious minds in Miami, only
strengthen the morale of our
armed forces and the Bolivarian
people,” tweeted Socialist Party official
Elias Jaua.
BIGSTOCK
On Friday, government allies
inaugurated a new legislative superbody
that the Venezuelan opposition
and leaders around the
world denounced as a power grab
by Maduro.
In Sunday’s video, a man who
identified himself as Juan Carlos
Caguaripano, a former National
Guard captain, said: “We demand
the immediate formation of a
transition government.” He was
flanked by about a dozen men in
military uniforms.
“This is not a coup d’etat,” he
said. “This is a civic and military
action to re-establish constitutional
order. But more than that, it is
to save the country from total destruction.”
On Saturday, Maduro’s new
“constituent assembly” removed
the chief prosecutor from her post
and ordered her to stand trial,
confirming opposition fears that
it would use its powers to root out
critics of the government. •
victim instead of the rapist,” she
said.
Prof Sadeka Halim from Dhaka
University believes that such conversations
are a step in the right
direction. “Providing rape victims
with special assistance draws further
attention to them, and it is a
very precarious matter to balance.
We have to try to change society’s
perception of such incidents. If we
can ensure justice, it might change
how we think about the perpetrators
and the victims. This is just as
important as trying to help the victims
themselves.”
Psychiatrist Mekhala Sarkar believes
that society is ill-equipped
to provide physical and mental
support for victims of rape. She
said: “The victims cannot escape
their trauma and reintegrate back
into society because of society itself.
Society can erase their presence
as well. They have to live
feeling that they cannot be a part
of society while being in it. This
makes it impossible for them to
live a normal life.” •
Names of victims have been changed
to protect their identities
This article was first published on
banglatribune.com
Suspected
Bangladeshi
terrorist arrested
in India
• Tribune Desk
TERRORISM
A suspected
Bangladeshi
terrorist associated
with al
Qaeda-inspired
extremist
group Ansarullah
Bangla Team has been arrested
by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist
Squad from Muzaffarnagar, reports
Hindustan Times.
The detained, identified as Abdullah,
had an Aadhar card and a passport
under fake alias, said the ATS officials.
He was allegedly involved in
arranging fake identity papers for terrorists,
especially from Bangladesh,
and their safe hideouts in India. •
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY
LIGHT TO MODERATE
RAIN LIKELY
MONDAY, AUGUST 7, 2017
Dhaka 33 28 Chittagong 32 27 Rajshahi 34 27 Rangpur 33 26 Khulna 32 27 Barisal 30 27 Sylhet 29 25
DHAKA
TODAY
TOMORROW
SUN SETS 6:38PM
SUN RISES 5:31AM
YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW
34.4ºC
24.5ºC
Jessore
Rangamati
Source: Accuweather/UNB
PRAYER
TIMES
Cox’s Bazar 30 26
Fajr: 4:55am | Zohr: 1:15pm
Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:55pm
Esha: 8:45pm
Source: Islamic Foundation